LAHORE: The Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) collects about Rs 1.4 billion annually whereas 1.1 million workers are registered with the Punjab Labour Department.
Punjab Labour Secretary Muhammad Aamir Jan revealed this while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday. Director General Labour, Punjab, Faisal Nisar also spoke on the occasion.
The Secretary said the Punjab Labour Department is working as a facilitator and ensuring maximum facilities for the trade and industry. The policies for labour have been developed with a vision to ensure welfare of workers. He said that promotion of healthy labour management and industrial relations for greater socio-economic progress and development is a prime task of the labour department as labour force has a fundamental role in industrial development. The role and cooperation of the Lahore Chamber is of utmost importance in this regard, he added.
On the occasion, Director General Labour Faisal Nisar gave a detailed presentation on Punjab Occupational Health and Safety Act-19.
LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that trust building between the business community and government departments would make things smoother. The outbreak of Covid-19 has forced us to improvise so that somehow business activities should continue to revive. For that matter, the public departments must cooperate with the private sector, he said.
He was of the view that the frequency of tax payments of various labour taxes should be reduced to once a year. Currently, the frequency of tax payments of EOBI and PESSI is 12 times a year. The industrial units should be allowed to utilize 10 percent of their land for establishing their own labour colonies which would help reduce cost of Labour and transportation besides enhancing competitiveness of local industry, he opined.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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